Project: Medical Centre Expansion
Municipality: Casey City Council
Designer:
This flourishing medical centre with a permit for 9 practitioners contacted Clause:1 for assistance with the expansion of their operation. The directors had acquired two residential lots to the rear of their site and were seeking permission for a purpose-built extension with minimal disruption to the operation of the existing centre during construction.
Council was initially opposed to the scale of the proposed extension and resisted the double storey building form as well as the number of offices and the size of the administration area. Despite the site being located opposite a major shopping centre, the planner was convinced that the current medical centre should not be allowed to expand and that the development should be relocated elsewhere in the municipality. In addition, residents were opposed to vehicle and pedestrian access from the cul-de-sac. A significant shortfall in the number of car parking spaces required by the Planning Scheme also caused concern to Council. Careful treatment of the rear façade and the car parking areas was critical to the success of the project, creating an appropriate interface to the residential development at the back of the site.
After protracted discussions with Council, Clause:1 was successful in obtaining a permit for an additional six practitioners, (a total of 15) and approximately 500 sqm of additional floorspace within the two storey extension.